Nigel Farage: Did he bottle it?

Could Nigel Farage actually make it inside the Palace of Westminster? (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s decision not to stand for parliament in an upcoming by-election is being mocked by MPs in Westminster today. The unanimous verdict is summed up by three words: ‘He’s bottled it.’

They’ve got a point. When news of a by-election breaks – especially one resulting from a shamed Tory MP being kicked out of parliament – the only question on everyone’s lips is whether Farage will stand.

Having declared last night that David Cameron would have to resign if his party had lost to the Ukip chief, Farage’s team worked Westminster into a frenzy of anticipation at the prospect of a hard-fought by-election fight.

Then came the cold light of day – and a change of heart.

Farage declared this morning that, while he is a ‘fighter’ and a ‘warrior’, he would be running for the hills rather than dare to actually stand and battle it out.

This was, ultimately, the sensible option. Farage had admitted he didn’t know anything about Nottinghamshire, which the local voters wouldn’t have liked much. Nor would they have been pushovers, either – the Conservatives had an eye-wateringly large majority of 16,000 to defend.

In parliament, the MPs I spoke to were full of a mixture of contempt and derision for Ukip. ‘They’re a bit hit and miss,’ one Lib Dem veteran said. They try hard in some areas, but just seem a bit disorganised in others. The local Ukip party in Newark isn’t particularly strong, it was suggested.

Another MP, this one a Conservative, said Farage’s mistake was in ‘flirting’ with the idea of standing in the by-election last night. He ought to have said no immediately. And by failing to do so, he raises the question of whether he might just be a bit of a wobbler.

After all, Farage has previous on this. He turned down the chance of standing at the Eastleigh by-election. Now he’s done it again. Isn’t it time for him to put up or shut up?

Some may think so. But the truth is it would have been crazy for him to take the enormous gamble of taking on the Newark contest. A failure to do so would have dented Ukip’s momentum at a critical stage.

With the polls as they are, Farage needs to shrug his shoulders over today’s excitement and look ahead to May 22, when European elections take place.

Just look at this poll from ComRes, for ITV News. Of those who say they are certain to vote in the upcoming elections, 38 per cent say they will back Ukip. That compares to 27 per cent choosing Labour and just 18 per cent preferring the Tories.

If the final result is anything like this, revolution will be in the air in Westminster. We’ll have completely forgotten about this by-election fuss, that’s for sure.

Farage might like to be an MP, but right now he has his eyes on a much bigger prize.

(Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

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